The Ties that Bind
by Alikia
Summary: John has to face his past when danger comes to someone he cares for. Will he get the chance to mend the bridges he destroyed or will he lose the only one who means everything to him?
1. Chapter 1

_Awesome show. I hope I do it justice. Let me know what you think._

Chapter 1

"Would you just stop talking? I'm trying to drive".

Detective John Kennex was on his way back to the station and all he wanted was some peace and quiet but his DRN partner Dorian just kept yammering. It was giving him a headache.

"All you need to do is answer my question John", Dorian answered, glancing over at the driver's seat. "Then I will stay quiet for you".

Dorian paused, a small smile on his face.

"Maybe".

John sighed, defeated.

"Alright, alright but I don't get why it's so important to you".

All he got was a pointed stare making him sigh.

"It's going great", he continued, patting his new synthetic leg.

Dorian had given it to him a month ago and had now seemingly decided that a month was an appropriate time frame for a test run.

"Definitely better than the other one. Will you go to silent mode now"?

He saw the smug grin out of the corner of his eye and shook his head, turning his attention back to the road. After only a minute of blissful silence, the annoying voice came from the passenger seat.

"John…".

"Would you give it a rest about the leg".

He got another stare.

"You are receiving a message from Captain Maldonado. Your presence is required at the station".

John sighed.

"Does it say why"?

Dorian shook his head.

"Only that we need to return immediately".

"Yeah well we're almost there".

He put his foot down a little more, slightly curious about what was waiting for them back at the precinct.

John walked beside Dorian into the station, feeling tired. He was over it and all he wanted to do was go home and sleep but this message was a surprise. Usually a subject was attached to it but not this one. Hopefully it wasn't anything that would keep him up all night.

"Is she in her office", he asked as they walked into their office area.

After a moment's pause, Dorian answered.

"No but…".

The rest of his partner's comment faded into the background when he spotted Detective Paul in the Interrogation Room looking angry as he paced around the figure in the chair. The person's back was to them but the brown shoulder length hair that was all punked out with bright blue pieces looked very familiar. He glanced around and spotted a grey canvas satchel bag on the floor beside the figure that had repaired rips all over it.

"John, you should stay here…".

John ignored Dorian and quickly made his way to the room and without hesitating, burst through the door.

"Kennex, what the hell do you think you're doing"?

John ignored Paul and simply stared at the young woman sitting at the table. Her piercing blue eyes stared straight forward and her face was stony.

"What the hell is going on Paul", John growled. "What are you doing with her"?

"She is a suspect Kennex and that's all you need to know. Now get out".

John shook his head.

"Not a chance. I need a minute with her".

"I don't think so. You could undermine my case".

Before john could answer, Paul's MX entered.

"Detective Paul, your presence is requested in Captain Maldonado's office".

For a moment the two men stared at each other then Paul let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine bot".

Paul turned to John and jabbed his finger at him.

"You ruin my investigation Kennex and I'll have your badge".

With that Paul stalked out the door, his MX close behind. John sighed, glanced at Dorian and made sure the door was shut. With another small sigh, he turned to face the young woman who hadn't twitched while he and Paul had their small confrontation.

"Let me guess…hacking".

The woman rolled her eyes but stayed silent, refusing to look at him. Awkward silence stretched between them and John couldn't stop the thoughts from racing through his head. No matter what he came up with, whatever was going on would be a hundred times worse.

"Are you going to tell me what trouble you're in", he asked softly, tiredness really starting to hit him.

The woman shook her head and finally turned to face him.

"Like you give a damn".

John sighed.

"It's good to see you too sis".


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

John paced around the room not really sure what to say. In front of him sat his baby sister who wouldn't even look at him let alone talk to him. She still looked pretty much the same as she had when he had seen her last except for a little bit of lost weight not to mention the angry look on her face. He wanted to just let her go home but he had to get her side of whatever she was here for. It couldn't be anything good. He sighed as he grabbed the other chair and sat beside her.

"Lex, why are you here? What's happened"?

When she didn't answer, he shifted forward trying to make her look at him.

"C'mon kid, tell me what's going on. Or I could always find out from Detective Paul".

Finally his sister turned to him, her eyes still angry.

"I'm sure you'll get his thoughts anyway".

John smiled.

"You can count on that. Lex…are you hacking again"?

His sister shook her head.

"I don't hack. I've done nothing wrong".

John sighed as he sat back. His sister was a genius and could get into any tech system on the planet. She had also managed to get away with no run-ins with the law and had no record. He also knew that she was so good at what she did, that she could erase any sign of her 'crimes'.

"Then why has Detective Paul brought you in"?

"Because my last name is Kennex".

John tried not to laugh. That would definitely be at the top of the list. He turned when he saw Paul leave Maldonado's office and head back towards them.

"Please Lex", he urged, grabbing her hand. "Tell me what's going…".

Detective Paul charged through the door looking smug.

"Get out Kennex. I have work to do".

Before John could stand, his sister did, grabbing her bag to sling over her shoulders. He loved the look of confusion that crossed Paul's face.

"Where the hell do you think you're going", Paul asked, obviously not impressed.

Lex simply stared at the detective who was shorter than the younger Kennex, her eyes steady.

"You have no reason to hold me so I'm leaving".

John watched his sister attempt to leave but Paul blocked her way.

"You are under suspicion of hacking and associating with a criminal organisation".

John almost fell over. There was no way his sister would be that stupid.

"What evidence do you have", he asked, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice.

Paul stared angrily at him.

"She has been found to be associated with a known member of this organisation".

John watched as an amused look crossed his sisters face.

"You dragged me in here because you _think_ I have an association with a supposed member of some crime gang that you won't tell me about".

After a moment's pause, Lex smiled.

"Nice try Detective", she continued. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do".

"Yeah", Paul asked sternly. "What work would that be"?

"None of your damned business".

John held the door open as his sister stepped around them. He wanted more answers but he wanted to get them without Paul around.

"You're on notice Miss Kennex", Paul called as he followed them out. "I will get the evidence to put you behind bars".

John was about to intervene when Lex turned, her eyes stern.

"You may as well give up because there is nothing to find".

"I'm sure you have plenty of skeletons. Being dirty is a genetic Kennex trait".

John couldn't start his own tirade because in an instant Paul was stumbling backwards, his hand clutching at his bloodied face. Instead he had to hold his sister back to stop her form beating Paul to a pulp.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE"?

Captain Maldonado's voice echoed through the office as the senior police officer stalked over to them.

"Would someone please explain why my office is being turned into a fight club"?

"I want her brought up on assault charges", Paul cried as he wiped blood from his lip.

John groaned, still holding his sister back.

"That's not going to happen Richard and you know it", he said, fighting the urge to add his own fist to the mix.

"And why shouldn't she be brought up on charges", Maldonado asked sternly. "She did just assault a police officer".

"A police officer who provoked a confrontation by making false comments about the integrity of the entire Kennex family".

Dorian's calm voice broke the tense air as the DRN stepped forward.

"It appears that Detective Paul is biased towards Miss Kennex due to his dislike of Detective Kennex".

"Hey…".

Maldonado's angry glare cut John's complaining off instantly as he watched her turn to Paul who had finally steadied himself.

"Is this true Detective Paul"?

When there was no answer, Maldonado sighed and turned to them.

"Miss Kennex, you will receive an official warning with the possibility of further charges being laid. Do you understand"?

John was about to protest when his sister stepped forward, shaking his grip off.

"Do what you like", Lex growled, her glare going from Sandra to Paul and back again. "Protect a bad cop whose personal bias blinds him from doing his job properly. You're good at covering up the truth".

With that, John watched his sister turn on her heels and stalk from the office. He looked for answers to her comments from Sandra but all he got was a tired sigh.

"Paul, go get yourself cleaned up. Everyone back to work".

John stayed where he was for a moment before heading out of the office. He had to talk to her before she took off. He raced through the halls and managed to catch up to his sister as she was heading down the foyer stairs.

"Lex, wait".

He groaned when she kept going and broke into a run.

"Hey, slow down", he huffed when he caught up to her, grabbing her shoulder. "I just want to talk".

"You want to talk", Lex cried as she turned her angry eyes on him. "Why should I talk when you want to? I wanted you to talk to me for over two years. Seventeen months I got no answers and then as soon as you are able to talk back, you tell me to leave you alone…to stay away".

"Come on kid", he sighed. "You can't hold that against me".

"If I hadn't been brought in by Detective Dick, would you have talked to me"?

John couldn't answer and that seemed to hurt his sister even more.

"I thought so. Now it's your turn John…leave me alone".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"You've been awfully quiet".

Dorian's voice broke John's trance and he sighed.

"Got nothing much to say".

He saw Dorian nod slightly as the DRN stayed silent but he knew it wouldn't last for long.

"So that was your sister", Dorian continued, curiosity clear in his voice. "She seems…just like you".

John smiled.

"How so"?

He waited as Dorian considered his answer.

"Her demeanour, her attitude…".

Dorian grinned.

"…her dislike of Detective Paul".

John laughed. That last part was definitely true.

"Yeah, that one just might be a genetic Kennex trait".

He sighed as he turned a corner.

"Dorian, I need you to look into Paul's case. I want to know everything he has and any tiny shred of proof that Lex is involved…".

"I've already been going through the case".

John chuckled.

"Of course you have. So…what have you found"?

After a moment's pause, Dorian continued.

"It is the investigation of several homicides that have been linked to an organised crime group known as Tether".

"Oh yeah, I think I've heard of them. Russians right"?

Dorian nodded.

"Yes. They are involved with everything from drugs to sexbots".

"What the hell is it with Russians and Sexbots", he groaned, exasperated. "They must really like those things".

Dorian grinned.

"Maybe that's genetic for them".

Both of them laughed. Dorian really did say the most hilarious things.

"Ok", he continued. "How does Lex fit in with it all? She's not organised crime".

"Well", Dorian continued carefully. "It seems she has an association with someone who is suspected to be involved with the organisation. A…Jeremy Simons".

John thought for a moment.

"I know that name. I think Lex went to school with him".

He saw Dorian nod.

"I cross referenced the name. Your sister and Jeremy went to the same school for tenth and eleventh grade. Despite them both being geniuses, they were still put into regular schools. Jeremy has been convicted of a number of cyber-crimes and suspected in many others. That is the only reason Lex was suspected. Her history is officially clean".

John nodded. His sister had always managed to stay on the right side of the law. Not even their parents knew the things she got up to until their father busted her hacking into a high priced restaurants booking and payment system to get a comped dinner for their wedding anniversary. Even though she was grounded for a month, her parents hadn't discouraged her. in fact, they had wanted her to get better and better and to use those skills for the right reasons. He smiled as he remembered the stubborn sulk on the ten year olds face when she told them a comped meal was a right reason. He sometimes wished for those days again.

"Is everything alright John"?

John nodded.

"Yeah, just thinking. Listen, we need to talk to Lex".

Dorian nodded in agreement.

"When would you like to go"?

John sighed. "Now".

(rap, rap, rap)

John and Dorian stood in the hallway of a slightly run down building on the east side of town and John was almost wanting the crap elevator music.

"Stop fidgeting John", Dorian said as John felt an elbow in his ribs. "Why are you so nervous"?

"I'm not nervous", he retorted sulkily. "I'm just…apprehensive".

An exasperated sigh escaped from the DRN.

"That means the same as nervous".

"No it doesn't".

"Yes it does".

John was about to give his partner a mouthful when the door in front of them opened to reveal his annoyed looking sister.

"What do you want"?

John sighed.

"We need to talk".

"Oh, now you want to talk".

John shook his head.

"Let's not have that particular conversation just now. We need to talk about Detective Paul's case".

For a moment they just stood there, Lex's gaze flicking between them before finally sighing.

"Fine. Come in".

John sighed in silent relief and stepped past his sister and into a small apartment. The kitchen was immediately to their left with the living area straight ahead. Several doors were on either side of them which led to other rooms. He turned when he heard the door close and noticed Dorian's curious stare as his partner glanced around the room before his gaze settled on Lex. The DRN held out his hand.

"Hello. We haven't been formally introduced. My name is Dorian".

After a moment John watched them shake hands, surprised that his sister also looked curious.

"Hi. Nice to meet you. A reactivated DRN. Someone must have hated you".

Dorian was confused.

"I'm not sure what you mean".

"You were partnered with him".

"Someone must have…".

"Ok, can we get started", John interrupted, annoyed with the strange bonding at his expense.

Doran glanced at him apologetically.

"You are right".

John sighed and glanced at his sister who was almost glaring at him.

"Danny, why were you brought into the station"?

When she didn't answer, he shook his head.

"Come on Lex, this is serious. The case is associated with an organised crime gang and your old school friend Jeremy is involved".

That got her attention. He only had to wait a moment before she sighed.

"Jeremy and I are still good friends John. He is a good guy, just…misguided".

John nodded. He knew the kid was good at heart but the wrong decisions he had made didn't help him.

"So what do you have to do with whatever he has gotten himself into"?

"He called", Lex said carefully. "A few days ago. He was nervous. He was asking me about some high tech financial coding that he had been hired to hack. For some reason he refused to tell me who hired him but he sounded really paranoid. I…may have poked around a bit but I have nothing to do with it".

John could tell his sister was holding something back.

"What else"?

Lex shrugged.

"All I know is that whatever this job is, it will be finished soon and is dangerous".

"Are you certain that is _all_ you know", Dorian asked, breaking his silence.

John saw the stubborn look form on Lex's face.

"Yes. You're the cops. You go figure more out".

Yep, that was the cue that his sister was not going to talk to them anymore but this situation was too important for him to go so easily.

"I know you know more than you're telling us Lex", he began harshly, not interested in playing games. "For your safety as well as Jeremy's, you need to tell us now".

He watched her eyes harden.

"All of a sudden you care", she grumbled, crossing her arms. "If you really gave a damn you wouldn't have pushed me away and kicked me to the curb".

John couldn't respond as Lex stalked to the door.

"It's time for you to leave".

"Lex…".

"Get out John. NOW".

He sighed and glanced as Dorian who gave him the slightest of nods before heading out the door.

"It was nice to meet you", the DRN said, stopping for a moment. "Despite the circumstances".

Lex nodded as the DRN walked outside. John stopped next to his sister and noticed tears forming in her eyes even though she wouldn't look at him.

"Lexie…".

"Just go john".

He sighed and joined Dorian in the hallway. The two were silent as they got to the car.

"We have to get to the bottom of this. Before she gets herself killed".


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Have you been able to find out anything else"?

John and Dorian were in the office going through the case. Paul's notes were average but it gave them the idea. It seemed the organisation was branching out to hacking into banks but they had always been able to cover their tracks. Their leader Stefan Myskovich was savvy, charming and extremely manipulative as well as very connected.

"Sorry John", Dorian answered as he sat next to the desk. "There isn't much else but conjecture".

"So the only real lead we have is Jeremy".

Dorian nodded as his face began flashing with lines of blue.

"I'm checking all the surveillance cameras and drones for signs of them. I will keep checking".

John nodded just as Paul came charging up to them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Kennex? You have no right to stick your nose into my case".

John grinned.

"I'm not. Just making sure your casework is up to standard".

"Bull"!

Paul leant close to John's face.

"You keep out of it Kennex or I'll have you charged".

That was it. John had enough. He stood and as usual towered over him.

"Just try it. Considering your treatment of a person of interest was due to biased, you should be charged for harassment".

For a while they stared at each other before Dorian interrupted in his normal, calming voice.

"It can't hurt to have some fresh eyes Detective Paul".

John watched as Paul glared at the DRN.

"Fine but you report to me".

John laughed.

"Sure. If you were taller".

He got another glare before Paul walked away.

"You really shouldn't antagonise him", Dorian said with a small smile and John grinned enjoying himself as he turned back to the screen. "I wish Lex had spoken to us. We need to know what she does".

"Why did you and her stop talking"?

He had been expecting this question from Dorian but he didn't really want to answer.

"John"?

He sighed.

"I was in a coma for seventeen months and apparently she barely left my side. Every day she was there, talking to me, reading. Then when I woke up…".

He actually felt a little ashamed.

"Let's just say I wasn't very nice. I found out my partner and all my men were dead, my girlfriend had disappeared and my leg was gone".

"So you turned your back on her", Dorian continued with a disapproving look which annoyed him to the extreme but he knew he deserved it.

"Not turned my back on exactly but…ok, I turned my back on her and everyone. I told her to leave me alone and she did. I may have said a few things that…".

"Weren't very nice".

"Not really no".

"So what are you going to do about it"?

John sighed.

"Well first I'm going to make sure I get her out of this mess and then we'll wing it from there".

THE NEXT DAY

"We'll have to go talk to this Jeremy".

John nodded. Since they weren't getting anything out of his sister, Jeremy was the next best thing.

"Alright, find out where he is".

Dorian's face flashed as he ran checks.

"I believe he's at home…".

Dorian's face became concerned.

"John…".

When Dorian didn't continue, John grew worried.

"What is it"?

Dorian turned to him, his blue artificial eyes almost afraid.

"The surveillance from a couple of hours ago shows Stefan and several of his men entered Jeremy's residence and scans show they were armed. Heavily".

"Get a squad together. If they're bold enough to go into Jeremy's place armed in the middle of the day, something must be wrong".

He turned.

"PAUL! YOU MIGHT WANT TO JOIN US"!

"WHAT THE HELL FOR KENNEX"?

"STEFAN HAS BEEN SPOTTED WITH SOME OF HIS GOONS AT ONE OF YOUR SUSPECT'S RESIDENCE. SOMETHING'S GOING DOWN".

Detective Paul was instantly moving.

"Let's go then. We'll sort the particulars on the way".

 _This is what I have so far. What do you think?_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Report".

An MX instantly stood to attention.

"Full line of sight has been established. There are four occupants in the designated position, all male. Three are heavily armed and pose direct threats to those inside the building. There are three escape routes; front and rear doors and a window that goes directly into the alley. All have been covered".

John nodded. He along with the others were tucked into an alleyway that was directly across the street from their suspects building. He knew Stefan would have his men keeping an eye out for any problems but they were well hidden since there was also several cars in front of them. Should anything go wrong they would have plenty of cover. He sighed before he turned to Dorian.

"Can you see any other problems"?

The DRN's face lit up for a moment before he shook his head.

"The MX's report is accurate however the danger is greater than you may think. All of Stefan's men are armed with pulsar handguns, grenades and a new version of the P-90-X5".

"Are you sure", John asked surprised but Dorian was already nodding.

"It is the newest and most dangerous of the bolt pulse automatic weapons", Dorian continued seriously. "They aren't even available to the Military yet".

"So how did they get a hold of them"?

Dorian shrugged at Detective Paul's question as the man joined them.

"I could search records…".

"We don't have time for that right now", John interrupted with a sigh.

Knowing those sorts of weapons were inside that building made it even more important to stay out of sight until they could ensure the safety of any civilians. He turned to Paul quickly.

"Let's get as many people out of the vicinity as possible. We don't want to alert Stefan's men. Once we've done that we will go in. have the MX's secure any civilians while we…".

It was then that he noticed Dorian's flashing face and the concern that covered it.

"John…".

He really hated it when the DRN started a sentence then stopped halfway through.

"What Dorian? Use your words"!

"I've been scanning all surveillance cameras in the area for any of Stefan's other known accomplices but I haven't found any. There is someone else headed this way".

John couldn't hide his annoyance.

"Dorian, would you just…".

He stopped and stared. A figure was approaching their position on the opposite side of the street and not even the hood could disguise the dark hair with its blue pieces.

"Damn it"!

Instantly he grabbed his phone and dialled, groaning when his call was ignored. He dialled again and sighed when the figure paused before finally answering him.

"What do you want John"?

His sister was clearly frustrated but thankfully her walk had slowed considerably.

"Lex, we don't have time to argue right now. Don't react. I am watching you right now. You need to turn around and go back the way you came".

Lex stopped the moment he had started talking and although she wasn't obviously looking around, he could see her eyes flicking around the street.

"I can't John. I'm headed to a friend's…".

"I know you're headed to Jeremy's", he interrupted, really not interested in being pleasant. "There are men there with guns. We're about to raid the building. You need to turn around".

It hadn't slipped his attention that his sister was still walking towards the building and was now directly across from them.

"Lex…turn around now. Please? Do this one thing for me and I promise we'll do everything we can for Jeremy".

He watched as she stopped and he heard a sigh come through the phone.

"Ok. Just get him out…".

"Detective Kennex, we have movement. One bogie is approaching the street".

John turned, the phone still at his ear.

"Lex…go now".

Before his sister could turn around, a figure stumbled from the buildings entrance and his heart sank. It was Jeremy and he knew she wouldn't leave now.

"Everyone get ready. We go on my mark".

Every one of them readied their weapons. They watched Lex move quickly to Jeremy and it was then that he realised Dorian had hacked his call and everyone could hear what was being said as she grabbed onto Jeremy's arms.

"Lexie", Jeremy gasped, fear in his voice. "You shouldn't be here".

"Neither should you", Lex responded quickly as she glanced around. "Let's go".

"It doesn't matter. They'll find me".

"Just shut up and come with me".

John watched as Lex began pulling Jeremy away from the building.

"John, movement".

Dorian's voice was harsh.

"Stefan's men are coming…".

They watched as two men came around the corner, blocking his sister's path. She and Jeremy stopped and Lex went to drag Jeremy the other way but two more men came out of the building, blocking them in. John felt his heart in his throat.

"Everyone ready", he hissed, raising his weapon.

He didn't wait for an answer. He watched intently and listened just as hard at the unfolding scene in front of him. Lex stayed close to Jeremy and he could see her eyes grow stony.

"Excuse us".

Lex's voice was calm and strong but John could tell she was nervous thanks to her fingers twitching. The men revealed their weapons and one of them smiled.

"I don't think so. He stays here".

This was about to get out of hand. The four men closed in on his sister and Jeremy and he saw her hands clench. That was never a good sign. John nodded to Dorian as Lex's voice came through the comms.

"I don't think so".

He watched her hands suddenly fill as two electro batons appeared which she extended almost instantly. As if in slow motion, his sister struck at the men closest to her, single handed disabling them and shoving them into their two friends. It took until the men fumbled with their weapons for him to snap out of it. He raised his own gun and aimed.

"THIS IS THE POLICE. PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AND…".

The men began firing and John's heart nearly stopped as he watched one of them start shooting at Lex and Jeremy. Lex dragged Jeremy behind a car for cover but it wouldn't last long against the weaponry the men had. He watched as the MX's and cops fire back and knew they had to end this quickly.

"DORIAN…WE HAVE TO GET THEM TO SAFETY"!

Dorian nodded.

"OUR POSITION IS SAFER THAN THEIRS. WE SHOULD GET THEM OVER HERE IMMEDIATELY"!

John nodded before speaking into his phone.

"LEX…CAN YOU HEAR ME"?

He watched his sister intently who nodded. Good.

"I'M COMING TO GET YOU! DON'T MOVE"!

He ignored the shake he got from her and began to move but Dorian grabbed him.

"YOU CAN'T GO OVER THERE JOHN. YOU'LL GET KILLED. I'LL GO".

John shook his head. Lex was his sister and he was going to get her. The DRN seemed to know what he was thinking.

"THIS IS WHAT I'M DESIGNED FOR JOHN. I'LL GET HER HERE SAFE".

After a moment John sighed and nodded.

"LEX…DORIAN IS COMING FOR YOU AND JEREMY. KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN"!

"REALLY" his sister groaned at him and he watched her roll her eyes. "I WOULDN'T HAVE CONSIDERED IT HAD YOU NOT TOLD ME"!

He shook his head and turned to his partner.

"GO! GET HER SAFELY HERE".

Dorian nodded and after a moment's pause took off across the street, firing as he went. John could hear the conversation that went on between the DRN and his sister. Lex of course was being stubborn and not wanting to leave Jeremy.

John sighed before turning to an MX.

"YOU GO WITH DORIAN. BRING THEM BACK HERE. YOUR PRIORITY IS THEIR SAFETY".

The MX nodded before quickly crossing the street to join Dorian. It took another moment before Lex relented.

"EVERYTHING WILL BE OK", he heard her tell Jeremy. "JUST KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN AND DON'T STOP"!

With that, Dorian positioned himself beside Lex before nodding to her. Almost simultaneously they moved and John made sure to lay down extra covering fire. It only took a few seconds before his sister was safely beside him. It was then that he saw the fear in her eyes as he took her face in his hands.

"IT WILL BE OK. JUST STAY DOWN"!

She nodded and they both turned to cover the MX and Jeremy. After a moment the bot moved in the same way Dorian had with Jeremy crouching behind it but they barely made it halfway across the street. Stefan's men saw them and for a few moment's concentrated their fire on the fleeing figures and a few moments was all it took. The MX went down just before Jeremy was filled with bullets. John heard Lex scream and he had to grab her to keep her beside him. In slow motion they saw Jeremy go down and blood begin to flow onto the road. He could hear Lex's cries and made the stupid mistake of turning to Dorian who looked just as upset.

In an instant Lex pulled away from him and raced across to the fallen MX. He called to her but she ignored him. As usual. Luckily Stefan's men had turned their weapons back towards them which gave Lex the chance to reach Jeremy. He was about to send Dorian out to get her but watched in surprise as she lifted the damaged MX for cover, took its weapon and began firing. The shower of bullets from a different position surprised the men who made the mistake of moving, just enough for their own bullets to do their jobs. It took only a few moments for all four men to go down and stay down.

"LEXIE"!

He got no response but he could hear her cries and bolted across to her. She was trying to stop the bleeding from the multiple bullet holes in Jeremy's body and her hands were covered in blood. Jeremy was struggling to breathe and he looked terrified.

"DORIAN…ANALYSIS NOW"!

The DRN who had stayed beside him stared at Jeremy for a moment before glancing at him, his synthetic eyes full of sorrow as he made the slightest shake.

"Medics are on the way".

Lex turned to him, tears in her eyes.

"Tell them to hurry John. They need to hurry".

He nodded and almost cringed when Jeremy began coughing up blood. Never good.

"Come on Jeremy, stay awake".

Even then he could tell Lex knew nothing would help. Their father was a cop and they both knew fatal injuries when they saw them but Lex was shaking her head.

"No, no, no! Jeremy you have to hold on. Help is coming".

Jeremy shook his head as more blood spilled from his mouth and wounds.

"Too…late…sorry…".

Lex shook her head.

"It's never too late. Just keep those eyes open. Please"!

Again Jeremy shook his head and John could see that it wouldn't be long.

"Safe…keep…inf…shadowfax…".

A small smile spread across Jeremy's face as tear rolled from his eyes.

"Thankyou…Lexie…always…you…".

A moment later Jeremy's eyes went blank and his chest stopped heaving.

"NO JEREMY NO"!

Lexie was still pushing at the wounds as her own tears began falling and John watched as his sister leaned down to grip at her friend. He glanced at Dorian who shook his head before moving away to help coordinate the scene. After a moment John moved to kneel beside his sister and even though she shook off his hand he stayed. He moved closer and grabbed both her shoulders, this time not letting her shake him off and pulled her towards him. She only struggled for a moment before nearly collapsing into his arms, her own chest heaving as she tried to breathe through her pain. He held her tight, ignoring everything around them, wishing he could turn back time.

 _What do you think?_


	6. Chapter 6

_I wasn't sure if I needed this final chapter but I felt like I needed to tie up some strings._

John rubbed his eyes for the hundredth time as he sat trying to complete his reports. It had been three days since the confrontation with Stefan's men and three days since he had seen his sister. She had been devastated after watching her best friend die and John had hoped that Lex would let him help her but she hadn't. She had shaken his grip off, watched as the coroner loaded Jeremy's body into the van and had simply walked away with blood all over her. He had tried to take her home but she had been stubborn as always although he did have to laugh. Detective Paul had tried to take her statement but the glare Lex had given the man would have made anyone feel miniscule.

He sighed. He had thought that giving her space was good but he had spent too long leaving his sister behind and now Lex would need him more than ever. As soon as he had finished his reports, he would go see her.

"Kennex"!

John rolled his eyes. He really didn't need this right now.

"What is it Richard"?

Detective Paul shoved his way to John's computer, pressed a few keys before waving his hands at the screen.

"What the hell is that"?

John sighed. He barely had the energy to chastise Paul for touching him let alone figure something out for the man but he pretended to care.

"What is what"?

"That Kennex", Paul continued again pointing at the screen so John focused on it to try and make his fellow detective go away.

A massive download was in progress onto Paul's precinct account. It was coming from an outside source which should have been impossible.

"Do I look like a techy? Ask Roody"?

Paul sighed, annoyed.

"I have. He's working on it but look".

John waited as Paul pulled up a file and he almost fell out of his chair. There were dozens of photos of Stefan and many others. Somehow the career criminal had managed to evade capture and had disappeared. The pictures showed meetings and copies of records. He clicked on another file and pages and pages of numbers popped up.

"Holy crap", Paul breathed over his shoulder. "These are Stefan's business records. Transactions, accounts, personal details. This is everything we need to take that bastard down. Where the hell is this coming from"?

All John could do was shrug. They had been trying to get evidence on Stefan for years and now it was all right there for them. He dialled the phone beside him and waited for the other end pick up.

"Yeah"?

"Hey Roody have you figured out where these files are coming from"?

John could almost see their tech wizard shaking his head.

"I've got no idea John. It shouldn't be possible for someone to be hacking the departments system. I'm trying to find its origins now but…".

When Roody didn't continue, John glanced at Paul who looked just as frustrated.

"But what Roody"?

"But I don't think I can. This coding is so far beyond me that I don't think I can trace it. I do know however that this hacker has been around before".

"Where", Paul urged and John felt like punching him if only to get his stinky breath away from him.

After a moment's pause, Roody's voice came back to them.

"Well…the hacker is an unknown…someone who has no identity to anyone anywhere. None of us know who he is. The only way anyone can tell that it is him is the shadow code".

John rubbed his face in exasperation. Roody could really be frustrating.

"What is shadow code Roody"?

"Oh…right. Sorry. Shadow Code is underlying patterns in the computer code that creates images in the backgrounds of data that some hackers use to create a sort of signature. This one disappears quickly but the image is a…phoenix".

John had to try to keep from smiling. He stood, stretched then threw his jacket on.

"Well, this is all very fascinating but I'm tired. You guys can handle it".

He turned quickly, trying to act as natural as possible. He had someone to see.

It was only a minute before the door in front of him opened and Lex appeared. Her face was pale and her eyes were red with her tied up hair falling loose in places. She looked so exhausted that he almost felt bad at disturbing her. Almost.

"Hey kid".

Lex sighed.

"John. What is it"?

John shrugged.

"Do you mind if I come in"?

It was a only a moment before Lex nodded and moved silently back into her apartment. John closed the door softly before joining his sister in her living room.

"How you doing kid"?

Lex just shrugged as she sat down so John sat next to her.

"Lexie…talk to me".

Instead of getting angry at him like she normally did, she sighed and her shoulders sagged. He saw tears well up in her eyes and her hands start to shake.

"How would you be if you saw your best friend die in front of you? If you felt his last breath while covered in his blood".

John sighed.

"Sorry. Dumb question. Look, I'm not going to try to tell you everything will be ok and all that. All I'm going to tell you is that I am sorry about Jeremy and that I am here for you".

He almost sighed when his sister nodded.

"I know. Thank you".

He smiled.

"Oh…thanks by the way. For the evidence on Stefan".

Lex stared at him for a moment.

"I have no idea what you're talking about".

John smiled and shook his head but before he could continue, a ringing interrupted them and John realised it was the door. He moved to check it and was surprised to see Dorian standing there with several brown paper bags in his hands. Confused he opened the door and the DRN smiled.

"John. May I come in"?

He tried to make his partner leave with just a glare but the DRN didn't take the hint. Instead Dorian pushed past him and into the dining room, placing the bags on the table.

"Dorian, what are you doing" he sighed, trying not to take a deep breath.

"I've done some research John about the best ways to reconcile relationships. Sharing a meal is at the top of the list".

Dorian pulled out several containers of food and placed them on the table. Chinese. John felt his stomach grumble and watched his partner approach his sister.

"I am very sorry for your loss".

Lex nodded before Dorian turned around and went to stand by the door.

"I'll leave you both to it".

John nodded but realised that Dorian didn't move and began glancing between him and his sister. He realised that the DRN wanted something else. Before he could ask, Lex came over to the table and glanced at the food.

"Why don't you join us", she said quietly.

John was shocked but he saw Dorian's face become eager.

"I am a DRN. I don't eat".

Lex rolled her eyes and began setting the table.

"I didn't ask if you wanted to eat, I asked if you wanted to join us. Reconciliation includes conversation and you seem like you want to stay so you can make some conversation if you like".

John smiled when Dorian nodded. His partner had been curious about his sister since he had met her and had wanted to know about her. Maybe having the DRN there would make things less awkward. He sighed. He may have been an android but sometimes, he did exactly what was needed.

 _So that was it. Let me know what you think._


End file.
